Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1887-03-16
they are STOPPING over something lying
on the floor almost Immediately beyond
the threshold.

the threshold.
Mrs. Brand, with little cry, and pale
and trembling, rdshes forward, the SER
wants part involuntarily, and there lying
upon the ground, to all appearance life
less, lies Millicent. Her head is thrown
backward, and one hand is tightly
clinched.
"She is fainting. 1t is only faintW
cried Mrs. Brand, with an anguish in her
tone that bellies the meaning of her words.
"What are you all standing idle there
fors' turning upon the terrified women.
"Has no one thought Of sending for
doctor?'
She is down on her knees now beside
the pale still form, and has raised the
cold head on her arm.
eyes, nam; James has gone for
DOCTOR" sobs the lrousemaid nervously.
"Help me to lift her. So! Oh! be gen.
tie, girl! Thereon her bed. Pull up
the blinds-what are they down for at
this hour9-one would think she was
deadr'
She says this vehemently, with sort
of defiance. But the awful word is too
much for her-it has hardly passed her
lips when her fictitious angersgiyes way,
she bursts into tears, and, falling on her
knees beside the bed, she stretches out
her arms to the unconscious body.
"Oh! my chlid My pretty girl! What
Is it? What has happened to you? Oh!
Millicent, speak to mel"
The doctor entering at this moment,
she calms herself by supreme effort, for
in truth the poor woman Is terribly un.
nerved-no smallest suspicion Of tragedy
having ever come near her before, in oil
her calm, easy, luxurious life.
"H'm! hap says DR.. Thesby, shifting
about him suspiciously as he walks
lightly to the bedside and stoops over Mil
licent. "Young lady been playing
pranks with chloroforn?"
"Oh, no! impossible" exclaims Mrs.
Brand. "Indeed, I hardly think there is
any in the house. Certainly none that Is
not under lock and key in my own ROOM"
Nevertheless, there is chloroform
here or has been," says the doctor, sniff
fing again. He has been examining Milli-
cent while speaking, and now calls tor
certain things to be brought him by the
attending servants. Seeing Mrs. Brands
distress, he turns kindly to her. II can't
quite make it out yet, but pray compose
yourself, my dear madame. Your niece
is by no means beyond the power OF man
yet" -.
And, indeed, at the expiration of half
an hour or so Millicent is SO far recov-
cred as to be able to smile upon them,
and whisper word or two to her aunt.
"No whispering, I think-no con-
fldences just yet," says DR.. Thesby, rub
bing his hands. Though agree with
you, my dear lady, that no time should
be lost about seeing into this-er-truly
extraordinary affair. What dye say, my
good woman," turning sharply to one OF
the maids.
IA handkerchief, eh? Picked up by
you? Lying on Miss Grey's face-or
partly so? eh? eh2 Think what you are
saying now, my good girl, as I dare say
you will have to repeat it pretty often
later on"
Yes. The girl had picked it up when
first she stopped over Miss Grey. 1t
was not exactly on her face, but looked
as If it had slipped off it.
The doctor, folding it neatly, puts it in
his breast pocket. Important evidence,
madame! If you will permit me, I will
take charge Of it. Heavily saturated
with chlorOform, I should say, from the
strength of the aroma that still clings to
it,"
"Let me see it, says Millicent sud
denly, in q voice so much stronger and
with such excitement on her pale face
that the doctor thinks it better to accede
to her request, while still entreating her
to "Be calm!-be calm. and above all
things to be calm!"
"As it," said Millicent afterward to
Nadine, "any one could be expected to
be calm who had just escaped being MUIR
dered, and had had the finest sapphires
in Enlgand stolen from her!"
The handkerchief is large, coarse.
common one, white in color, and of such
a texture Us might be used by respect
able artisan on Il holiday making.
ut is a clew," says the doctor trium-
phantly; but Millicent, though she could
not have put her conviction into words,
feels that it will never help to bring the
real offender to justice.
"But what brought the man here
that is what want to knowY demands
Mrs. Brand, with little spreading of
her hands, when the doctor has called
some hours later to find his patient has
been sleeping quietly during his absence,
and has only reused to consciousness
again upon his entrance.
"Not n word have let her speak-not
n word" says Mrs. Brand, with very par
donablc pride, considering the extent of
her curiosity.
"Well, must speak now," murmurs
Millicent, still very feebly, but with a
decided increase OF strength that the
doctor finds very satisfactory.
"Why we shall have her downstairs
in no time" declares he jovially.
Then Millicent launches into descrip-
ton of the man who had thrown hand
kerchief over her face and left her to
live or die, as chance dictated, while he
made good his escape. 1t is this infor.
nation that calls forth from Mrs Brand
the question rs to what brought him into
her house at all that unseemly midnight
hour
"Ah auntie!" says the girl, looking
at her out of her cushioned arm chair,
with great pathetic eyes that have grown
greater because of the regretful tears
thrt are filling them. "Do you not
know? Do you not guess? When you
opened my hand, and the sapphire locket
dropped out, did you guess nothing then?'
"No, child-no."
"That locket is gift to me. /"
"a gift? l know that" impatiently.
IA gift from your Ucnle Timothy, with
all the rest of those very beautiful
stones. A magnificent gift, truly"
"No!-a gift from the man who has
stolen all those unri' lied stonesr'
"Stolen" Mrs. Brand falls back in her
chair, and gazes at Millicent with hor-
ror stricken eyes.
"What! Gone! Those priceless sap
phires!" :ries DR.. Thesby, who is an old
friend of Mrs. Brands, and had been
shown the sumptuous gift of Timothy
Boyle when first presented to Miss Grey.
"Ah" says Millicent, laughing hyster-
ically, "thc burglar evidently did not
think them, as you do, priceless. No
doubt he is already pricing thenl-is ar
ranging how to break them up and sell
them-breaking Observation-Disclosures
let-my beautiful Here, being still
very weak, she gives up her mournful de-
scription, and subsidies into a storm Of
tears.
''There, there, darling Oh, don't cry
like that! Think of your weak state. But
what an a&acious thing Bless me,
what will Your uncle say? Now, my
dearest love, I implore you to control
yourself. Remember how that unmiti.
gated villain nearly deprived you of your
life only few short hours ago. In this
very chamber, DIR. Thesby. OH to think
of it! 1t must have almost happened on
this very spot" Here she grows tragic,
and speaks in deep bass tone that she